Safe and Sound?
by x.NiGhTaNgEl.x
Summary: Post-Mockingjay. What happens after Katniss and Peeta returm from the Capitol and how she chooses Peeta. Also find out what happens when Katniss finds out she's pregnant. Twist at the end. Chapter 4 now available. Chapter 5 should be out soon.
1. Chapter 1

The Hunger Games – Fan Fiction

**Chapter One – ****Realization**

I'm running through the crowded streets of the Capitol. The stench of blood and roses overpowering my senses. I'm running towards Prim, trying to get her attention - trying to warn her. I see her bend down to tend to a wounded child, her hands covered in blood and dirt.

"Prim!" But it's too late. I see them fall. The glistening black orbs attached to tiny parachutes, falling to the ground like birds, heading straight for her.

…**x**…

I open my eyes to find Greasy Sae closing the door to my kitchen.

"Mornin' Katniss." She says trying to sound cheerful. "Peeta sends his regards." I scoff.

"Don't be like that Katniss. He's a nice lad." I haven't spoken to Peeta since the rebellion. I have to admit to myself that I'm scared of him. After seeing him strapped to the white gurney in district 13, all I can picture is Peeta as a mutt, snarling and spitting plotting my demise. Although he got better and was allowed to move back into the house next to me, I can't bare the thought of him not being my Peeta.

The words, "Squirrel Stew?" wake me up from any daydreams I may have been in. I nod my head reluctantly, not wanting to dismiss any possible company.

"Heard anythin' from Gale?" She hit a nerve.

"No." I say quietly. No, I hadn't.

"Well, he'll be very busy dear."

Gale had become very elusive and he hadn't been to see me since he got a job as a government official in the Capitol. Peeta and I were also offered a job, but we declined. I couldn't bare the thought of being near the place of my sister's death. Not that it matters. It wouldn't make me think about her more than I do now.

The loud clanging of pots and pans make me feel like finally something productive is being done in my house.

"How's your mother?" Greasy Sae chirped. I wouldn't know. She'd busied herself with working in hospitals and teaching Capitol Doctors herbal remedies so she wouldn't have to face the fact that she authorised Prim's transfer to the Capitol. I only shrugged. It was my turn was my turn to ask the questions.

"How's your granddaughter?"

"Very good, thank you. She's a wizz at the knittin'- Oh that reminds me." She strode across the room to the bag she had dropped by the door.

"She made this for you. To say thank you for the knitting basket." She pulled out a long grey scarf with a white zig-zag pattern knitted through it. I smiled. I was glad she had remembered me. It was nice to feel like someone cared.

"Thank her for me Sae. It's good to know it went to someone who would use it properly." Greasy Sae beamed and moved back towards the stove. She stood in the same position for almost an hour stirring and mixing before plating up the squirrel stew with a loaf of fresh bread.

"Where did you get this?" I held up a slice of the bread. Greasy Sae looked down. _PEETA_

"It's not _poisoned_ Katniss!" I could feel my face turning red.

"I don't want it in my house! I don't want _him _in my house!"

"But Ka-"

"No! Just get rid of it!" After I said it I felt terrible. She had been looking after me for weeks and I hadn't asked her to. No-one had. She had felt obliged to help me after I came back from the Capitol. Possibly, it had something to do with my previous loyalty to the Hob. Greasy Sae left the room for a few minutes with the plate of sliced bread in her hands. She returned with the plate empty.

Before handing me a bowl of stew, a glass of water is placed on the table beside me. Greasy Sae roots around in a cupboard looking for something.

"Katniss. Where are your pills?" I knew this wasn't going to end well.

"I got rid of them."

"What! But Dr Aurelius gave them to you for a reason Katniss!"

"I don't _need_ them though!"

"Katniss. I've had _enough_ of your stubbornness! Get off of your high horse and deal with what you've been dealt with! It's not just _you_ left scarred by the Capitol!" She meant Peeta. I know this because she left after saying it.

I'm alone.

Again.

Somehow I can't help but blame my recent outburst on the Capitol. They made me this way. And I don't think I can ever be changed.

…**x**…

* * *

**Thanks Guys. Hope you enjoyed it and Chapter 2 will be uploaded soon! xx 0_o**


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two 

I don't remember falling asleep but when I wake up the only thing on my mind is Peeta. I get up out of my chair for the first time in weeks and limp towards the window. I almost expect to see him there, gardening or nursing a cup of tea – but he's not. He's probably inside doing the same thing I am.

Hiding

The wind blows gently and the smell of baking bread dances through the air. My mind wanders back to the train that took Peeta and me towards the Games nearly two years ago: Another nightmare wakes me from my sleep. But I forget all of my previous fears when I wake up to find Peeta's arms wrapped around my body.

"You okay?" He asks. His voice giving me butterflies.

"I am now." I want to say. But I settle for, "Mm-hm."

If only I could be back there. But this time the train is endless. We never have to get off and we never have to worry about anything else again.

Just me and the boy with the bread.

Just as I'm starting to relax I hear the floorboards creak behind me. In one fluid movement, I grab a steak knife that had been sitting on the draining board since Greasy Sae gutted the squirrel yesterday and point it towards the intruder.

"Hey Kiddo, it's only me!" Haymitch. I feel my heart pumping in the back of my throat as I lower it and give him a strained smile.

"Still on edge? I don't blame you Katniss. Only the other day a few bottles of liquor went missing from my house. I thought we were past stealing in district 12 but, hey ho." I know now that Haymitch isn't as smart as I thought he was because I knew for a fact that Peeta had been sneaking into his house and pouring his liquor down the drain – hoping that one day he would be sober enough to get a wife.

"Anyway that's not why I'm here." I leaned back against the sink knowing that the only reason Haymitch would come over would be for something big.

"I need you to go to the Capitol and-"

"No."

"But Ka-"

"No! Haymitch I never want to go back there. Please don't make me stab you." I say the last bit sarcastically but still hoping my first sentence will make him change his mind.

"Katniss, the Capitol needs to re-elect a president and we need you to be there. Anyone you favour is more than likely to be chosen. You could affect the vote just by being on that person's side." I couldn't believe that already we were going back to our old days. We only needed one bad president and we would be back to square one.

"Haymitch, I can't do this right now. Can't it wait?"

"Not really." I know I'm starting to lose my already short temper.

"Haymitch can't you just tell me whose running? Then I could cast my vote publically and it could all be over with." His face contorts as he thinks about it.

"Fine. But the candidates don't announce their running publically until tomorrow morning. Are you prepared to wait?" I nod my head.

"I'll contact Gale then and tell him." Haymitch leaves the room, knowing that I want to know more about Gale. "He was looking forward to seeing you!" He shouts as he closes the front door.

I stumble back to my chair and take my regular place and close my eyes, hoping that I'll sleep until tomorrow morning.

…**x**…

I can tell I'm dreaming as soon as I see Madge's pale face and her flowing hair. She starts walking towards a marble balcony above a crowd of thousands of well-fed Panem citizens. They are waving district flags and cheering loudly. Her voice makes me feel sick when she starts to speak as I know I'm responsible or her death.

"To the residents of Panem, I would like to announce my running for President." My heart leaps and I let out a yelp. The surrounding crowd begins to jeer loudly. "I would like to thank you all for your help over the last two years. Without your help we would still be under the control of the Capitol." Why am I doing this to myself? I try to stop myself from dreaming, trying to coax my eyes open but I can't.

"My first official decree will be to abolish the existence of closed districts. We will be forever more, _one_ nation." The crowd goes crazy – screaming and cheering for the girl with the bright ideas.

For some reason I can't help but think that the words Madge is speaking may have been the way she genuinely felt before her death. "Districts will no longer be limited to one industry and movement between districts will be made easier." She raises her hands to silence the crowd. "And finally, every year on the anniversary of the Hunger Games, one boy and one girl will be chosen to release the same number of mockingjays as the number of people killed in their district by the Hunger Games." I start to cry as I realise she is turning Panem into the place I've always wanted to live in.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

…x…

Well I didn't manage to sleep through the night. I wake to find a niggling urge to flee to the woods where Gale and I once hunted for our families. I walk to the cupboard beside the door and remove the false bottom to retrieve my bow and arrow. I place my hand on the door handle and pause, taking in the stale odour of the house that shouldn't have been.

I take a deep breath and taste the outside world for the first time in months. I hadn't realised that I had been waiting for this moment and once I had it, I would do what comes naturally and start running. I run as fast as I can out of the Victors' Village, through the town and past the Hob into the woods beyond the long demolished electric fence.

This is where I feel truly at home.

I remember all the good times Gale and I had here. Not perfect, but the best we could do when we knew we were in a place we shouldn't be, doing things we shouldn't be doing. It was here two years ago that Gale and I sat here beneath one of these trees discussing what was to become of us. We never could have imagined this.

I hear the leaves crunch in front of me and a soft scurrying through the underbrush. I feel a hunt coming on. Although the night is very dark the moon provides just enough light for me to make out the silhouettes of birds, deer and squirrels. So I follow the noises.

I fly over collapsed trees and roll to my feet, keeping my bow at the ready at all times – listening to every: crunch, squawk, chirp and squeak. I remember back to when Gale and I saw the red-headed girl sucked into the Capital Hovercraft and I almost expect to hear the mechanical whirring of the machine above my head.

The world seems to go silent as I spot a squirrel in the path of a moon beam. Perfect, I think. I take my aim. A guaranteed shot. Something doesn't feel right though. I re-take my aim and pull the arrow towards my cheek but I can't get rid of this strange feeling.

I spin in a complete circle and see a pair of eyes staring back at me. My heart misses a beat and I feel sweat start to form on my forehead.

He reaches up to my arrow and lowers it towards the ground. I drop them both – my bow and my arrow, my arms falling to my side involuntary. His big blue eyes pull me towards him and I can't help but think they look pleading. He puts his hands around my waist and pulls me close to him. He wraps his arms around my shoulders and whispers in my ear.

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." He starts to shake, like he's about to have a fit. I see the trail of water leading from his ocean eyes like a river.

"It-it's ok." He takes a step backwards.

"No it's ok." But he keeps shaking, his body contorting.

"Peeta." His eyes lock onto mine. "It's ok." He smiles and reaches his hand out to touch my cheek – but instead he falls to the ground like a great oak.

"Peeta!" I hear my voice but as if I am in a tunnel or a bubble, cut off from the real world. Where Peeta would be mine and only mine.

And I wouldn't be scared of him…

Thanks for your patience guys. All comments are welcome, if you like it tell your friends to read it. Chapter 4 should be out before Thursday and hope you all like it. :3


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four

Peeta lies on the cold ground like a corpse, his face slowly turning a strange shade of blue, his body twitching slightly after each exhale. I start to shake him but nothing happens. I fall to my knees and press my ear against his chest. I hear a faint _"lub…dub…lub…dub" _but my heart begins to beat faster when I realise his is slowing.

I jump to my feet and try to stand him up, but the task is virtually impossible due to his tall frame. His mess of hair becomes warm and sticky in my hands. It is then I notice the stream of red flowing from his ear. There's no time.

_He's slipping. _All I can think is: _He's slipping. I need to help him. What do I do? Where do I go?_

Haymitch.

I lay Peeta on his side and run as fast as I can back through the town and to Haymitch's front door.

_Please don't let him be drunk. Please don't let him be drunk._

I burst through his door to find Haymitch and Effie sipping cups of herbal tea at the kitchen table. I was about to start laughing before I remembered why I was here.

"Haymitch you need to come. It's Peeta." Haymitch pushes his tea cup aside, takes Effie's hand, kisses it and excuses himself. Wide-eyed, I stare at his uncharacteristic actions then lead him to where Peeta's barely living body lies.

"What happened?" Haymitch asks whilst hauling Peeta into a sitting position.

"I – I don't know. I was just – and he followed me – and then he fell… well he – I don't know." I tried to explain it to him but found it impossible.

"We need to get him to the Capitol." Even the thought makes me feel queasy.

"Haymitch, you know for a fact that the last place he would want to be is the Capitol."

"I'm sorry Katniss, but this is serious." Haymitch pulls a gun like object from his pocket and points it towards the sky.

"Haymitch what -" My words are cut short by a deafening bang and a blinding white light shoots into the night.

"It's a mayday call." Haymitch says coolly. "They should be here soon."

"They?" I ask, nervous of the fact that I might spot Gale. My heart starts to beat faster. No I couldn't see him. He would complicate things.

Then I hear the mechanical whirring of a hovercraft. The noise takes me off guard and the only thing I can think is: _Run!_ The noise reminds me too much of the Avox girl and what became of her.

I seemed to be doing a lot of running recently but I couldn't face this all today. I get about twenty metres away then turn to see the light of the hovercraft freeze Haymitch in place. But Peeta doesn't change his body looks exactly the same as it did ten minutes ago.

Was this it? Was this how it ends? Would Peeta be like this forever?

…**x…**

When I get back to the house the only thing I want to do is sleep and forget. The image of Peeta's contorting body fills my head and clouds my eyes with fear. I can't remember the last time I wasn't worried or scared of Peeta or what he was capable of. But this time it was different. I was scared at the thought of losing him.

**I would like to dedicate this chapter to all those people before me who wrote fanfiction's about Effie and Haymitch. They are all too cute and really good. I would also like to dedicate this chapter to someone very special who didn't get to read my fanfictions. I hope he would have liked them **


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Five

I stand by the kitchen window again, staring out hoping to see a hovercraft or something to tell me he's okay. But something tells me what I want I cannot have. Although today's events had chilled me to the bone, I somehow felt that seeing Peeta gave me what I was looking for. Just a glimpse, that was all I needed – for now.

My day dreaming was halted by the monotonous tone of the telephone. I rushed at the phone, snatching it up in my hands:

"Yes! Hello!"

"Katniss? It's Haymitch. We're in the Capitol.-"

"Haymitch, please... get on with it."

"Alright, alright... well it wasn't easy but he's recovering-" My heart started to pound again after what felt like days of it being motionless.

"He's okay?"

"Well Katniss... we need to get something clear. He's okay... for now."

"Wait... wh- what do you mean?"

"When Bolts heard about Peeta, he called to find out more of the details. He thinks- ah- he thinks Peeta has two personalities."

"What! But he only fainted!"

"No Katniss. One half of Peeta wants nothing more than to see you... but the other half- the half the Capitol made- wants nothing more than to kill you..." Time stopped. I had always held onto the hope that he had been returned back normal, back to the Peeta I knew, but instead, all of my fears were coming true. A few seconds later I realise that Haymitch has continued talking.

"Wait! Haymitch, can- can he be fixed?"

"I was getting to that. Bolts says he'll be fine for now, he's learnt how to control his urges to kill you, but it's very hard for him. He will return tomorrow."

"Tomorrow, but it's only been a day!"

"Katniss... it's been three days." My mind had been running in circles and I didn't realise I had lost three days. In some ways I was glad, I don't think I could wait another day.

"Get some rest Katniss. He'll be back tomorrow. Oh- and don't worry, Gale's looking after him." Haymitch quickly hung up... and I'm glad he did.

**...x...**

I successfully managed a full nights sleep, although I felt none the better for it, I was living for the moment I would see Peeta again. Something had changed, seeing Peeta like that, all curled up and shaking, it made me realise that the possibility of losing him did not just die along with the existence of The Hunger Games.

For some strange reason I feel the need to prepare myself for Peeta's arrival. I make my way towards the ill-used walk-in-wardrobe and breathe in. In some ways the air smells stale and dank but in others it smells sweet and flowery – 'Cinna' – I think. Although I watched him lose his life, I can still feel his presence in the beautiful fashions he designed for me.

I run my hands through the crisp garments and release a wave of the same scent.

"What should I wear Cinna?" I ask, not expecting a reply.

I glance at the different styles of clothing. Some practical and some... well, not. My hand comes to a halt on a beautiful, floor-length red dress, inched at the waste with a waterfall effect – I don't think so, maybe another time.

I look again and spot the perfect outfit – a loose fitting long-sleeved green t-shirt and a pair of black shorts. I feel shocked that I found such a suitable outfit in such a short amount of time. Compared to the rest of the clothes in my wardrobe this outfit is considerably less sparkly, twirly, floaty or show-offy than the rest.

I tentatively pull the hanger off of the poll and give it a once over. I notice taped to the back of the shirt is a note. I tear it off and place the outfit on a chair next to a floor-length mirror.

_Katniss,_

_ Against the advice of your other stylists, I have decided to give you, a little bit of _

_ way. So here it is a practical outfit. It took everything in my not to bedazzle it. _

_ P.S – Don't think this means you can stop shaving your legs. Why do think I chose_

_ shorts xx_

I find it difficult not to laugh, even though the note leaves me with a horrid lump in my throat. I brush it off and continue towards the bathroom. 'Not today', I think, 'I can't bring it all back today'.


End file.
